Mexico's Vuhl Details New Ford-Powered 05 Sports Car [24 Photos]

As it turns out, we don’t have to wait for next week and the Goodwood Festival of Speed to learn the preliminary details of the first production car from Mexican startup Vuhl, the open-air 05, as the company just came out with a fresh set of pictures and specifications. Vuhl says the 05 was designed as a “lightweight supercar for road and track in the vein of the BAC Mono, Ariel Atom, KTM X-Bow etc.” It is built on a monocoque chassis with a three-section bonded tub constructed from aluminium extrusions and aluminium honeycomb that tips the scales at just 78kg (172 pounds), with the body made from RTM reinforced plastic, though, carbon fiber panels are offered as an option. The dry weight of the entire car stands at 695kg (1,532 lbs). For power, Vuhl knocked on Ford’s door and borrowed the Detroit brand’s 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbocharged EcoBoost engine from the Focus ST, tuning it up to 285hp (289PS) and 420Nm (310 lb-ft) of peak torque for an impressive power to weight ratio of 400bhp per tonne. A six-speed manual gearbox drives the rear wheels. The Mexican carmaker quotes a 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint time of 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 245km/h (152mph), which should be more than enough to give you a freaky hairstyle if you don’t wear a helmet, since the 05 doesn’t come with a full windshield. Other interesting bits on the mid-engined Vuhl 05 include a suspension with unequal length double wishbones front and rear, a four-pot caliper braking system with 310mm ventilated cross-drilled discs at the front and 280mm units at the rear, a high ratio rack and pinion steering system, and a set of 17-inch wheels in tires 205/45 up front, and 18-inch rims shod in 235/45 rubber at the back. As for pricing, Vuhl stated that is taking orders now for first deliveries in the spring of 2014, with UK prices starting from £55,000 (plus tax and shipping) – that equals US$84,000 / €65,000. According to the company, the car will initially be sold only in the UK and North America, but added that, “the intention is to make the car available in the other key European countries, China, Middle-East etc in due course”. PHOTO GALLERY